Very recently, I planned a whirlwind trip to go to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to see The Imitation Game - a Benedict Cumberbatch movie about the life of Alan Turing. All of you will know Cumberbatch as he who famously photobombed U2 at the Oscars, he who plays Sherlock on the BBC, and he who has been antithesis of U2 as of late – absolutely ubiquitous and producing all kinds of goodness for his fans. He was, and still is, a very welcome distraction.

Last night I experienced the two most emotional moments I’ve had thus far as a U2 fan. When we planned our trip to Dublin last fall, I couldn’t have imagined that we’d be there to witness either of them. These moments were more special than any concert; this wasn’t about the music. Or about Bono – they were about two very special women who have both made the world a better place.

We were lucky enough to have “Electric Burma” fall on one of the 7 nights we were in Dublin – the night that we were staying in the Garden Terrace Suite at the Clarence, no less. The concert was held in the honour of the release of Aung San Suu Kyi – who would be in attendance on the night and finally presented with the Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience award that was announced at a U2 concert in Dublin in 2009. Little did Bono know that two years later he would be able to present it to her in person in his hometown of Dublin. 16 times I’d heard Walk On at the 360 Tour and each time helped the fans to lift her up – this was sure to be a special night, and we were truly blessed to have had it work out like this.

When we arrived at the theatre, there were crowds of Burmese people gathered waving flags – the joy on their faces far surpassing anything that I’ve ever seen at a U2 concert. Truly. Aung San Suu Kyi was very clearly the star of the night – I now understand firsthand what Bono means when he says that she is a far bigger rockstar than he.

Those of you who follow me on Twitter know that in addition to my own musings about one David Howell Evans, I also enjoy retweeting some of the other gems I come across...

Jokes aside, I obviously endeavour to retweet the important things as well, so in one of my searches near the end of April, I came across a tweet from the “Filament Project” – they were auctioning off bracelets made from guitar strings to benefit the Sweet Relief Musician’s Fund. I had heard of Sweet Relief in the past, as a lot of high-profile musicians support their cause; they offer financial assistance to musicians who have been affected by personal hardship. Their philosophy is to give something back to the people who have given us beautiful music… rather like Edge’s Music Rising.

This summer has a way of staying magic even though I thought it was over. Before I left for my East Lansing show, I made this sign, hoping that I’d make it to the front row and that I would get Dallas’ attention, and he’d hopefully be so kind as to give me that coveted piece of paper that sat at my hero’s feet that night. When I awoke at 4am that morning, it was the one thing I forgot to bring – I’d completely forgotten about it in our rush to get ourselves together in the pre-dawn for the all-day GA experience.